Uptown Transportation Study - OKI

Planning Study ReportPart B: Interstate 71 Access Improvement Study, PID 776281.1. Project HistoryThe initial planning process for I-71 included full interchanges at Victory Parkway and atWH Taft Road (planned as a limited access expressway connecting Columbia Parkway[US-50] to the Western Hills Viaduct). Approximately 0.6 mile of the WH Taft Expresswaywas to be constructed concurrently with I-71. Neither interchange was fully implemented,thus WH Taft Road and McMillan Street were converted to a one-way pair to serve thepartial interchange on I-71. The segment of I-71 within the study area was opened to trafficduring December 1974. The present configuration of I-71 and I-471 in the southern portionof the study area was fully opened to traffic in September of 1985.Throughout the 1980s and 1990s, the City of Cincinnati recognized the lack of accessibilityto the Uptown area and initiated a study of the feasibility of constructing a new full serviceinterchange at ML King Drive.I-71 within the study area was rehabilitated during 1995-1997 including repaving, safetyupgrades to the barriers, and medians as well as replacement of pavement markings,signage, and roadway lighting. At this same time, OKI initiated a Major Investment Study ofthe I-71 Corridor from Florence, Kentucky to Mason, Ohio. The locally preferred alternativefor addressing congestion and accessibility concerns from that study was a proposed lightrail transit system generally paralleling I-71 from Northern Kentucky through the Uptownarea to Blue, Ash Ohio.The I-71 Corridor Transportation study resulted in a sub-corridor study that recommendedthe reconfiguration of I-71/US-50 (Fort Washington Way). During 1998-2001, I-71 south ofthe study area was reconfigured and a new exit from southbound I-71 to Third Street in thecentral business district was created. During a public referendum in November 2002,Hamilton County voters defeated a proposed increase in the county sales tax that wouldhave funded the local share for construction of light rail transit in the I-71 corridor.During the past five years, the City of Cincinnati, along with other stakeholders, has soughtfunding to revisit the issues of accessibility to the Uptown area. In 2004, OKI initiated thisproject with the goal of addressing a myriad of long-term transportation issues in the Uptownarea.1.2. Study AreaThe Uptown Transportation Study is organized into two separate but related components;Parts A and B. The Part B Study area is, by and large, a subset of the larger Part A Studyarea with some extensions to the north and south to incorporate adjacent interchange areas.Part B is focused on improving access on I-71 in the Uptown area. The Part B Study areaincludes the portion of I-71 from Liberty Street (milepost 2.0) to Dana Avenue (milepost 6.0)and is bounded on the east and west by US-22 and US-42, respectively.The study area is highly urbanized with a broad mix of land uses. Nearly the entire areaexceeds OKI’s defined thresholds for environmental justice populations. The study area isforecast to experience a moderate population loss and minor employment gain through the2030 plan year. The Uptown area has experienced targeted efforts at economicrevitalization and mixed use/residential development. Institutions comprising the UptownUptown Transportation Study 2URS CorporationNovember 2006